HONG KONG (SE): The Sixth and the Seventh General Meetings of the Hong Kong Diocesan Synod were held in the auditorium of the Diocesan Centre, 16 Caine Road, during the April 30 and May 1 holidays.

Father Dominic Chan, the diocesan vicar general in charge of synod procedures said that because of the press of time to finish the synod by the end of the year, civic holidays must be utilised for plenary synod sessions.

The April 30 meeting considered the Education and Culture committee's recommendations with 151 synod members present.

Ms Alice Woo, the diocese's episcopal delegate for education and leader of the Education and Culture committee of the synod convened the session along with her deputy, Sister Mary Lucy Chung along with Cardinal Wu and the other canonical officials of the synod.

The 30 resolutions stemming from the third draft of the Education and Culture report were discussed , voted on and adopted one by one.

During the discussion in the morning session, a lengthy debate was held on the proposal to establish a "community college and a Catholic University.

Some members of the synod were concerned that such a project would prove a heavy financial burden to the Diocese while others doubted the need for such a university and felt that there was more need for a community college specialised in spiritual training and laity formation.

Also there were some misgivings over the possibility of enrolling suitable students for such an optimistic venture.

In the end, the proposal was modified so that the setting up of a community college with a flexible enrolment policy was given priority while the developing of a Catholic University was considered more of a long-term consideration. The majority agreed with this modification.

The May 1 meeting which was attended by 138 synod members, was convened by the leaders of the Social Concerns committee, Dr. Joyce Chang and Sister Judith Alice Yuen.

A third draft of the report of that committee was presented for discussion.

The discussion in the morning homed in on a number of topics including poverty, marginalised groups, local workers, foreign workers, new arrivals from China, environmental concerns, concern for life, Christians civic responsibility and social participation.

A sub-topic which resulted in the most heated debate was the one on °sex workers°. Some members felt the use of the term "sex workers° was inappropriate as it seemed to turn prostitution into a legitimate occupation.

The next (eighth) general meeting of the synod will take place during the holiday of June 25 (Tuen Ng Festival) when the topic of "Marriage and Family Pastoral Care° will be discussed.